[s-cars] HELP - Half-shaft doesn't go into wheel hub.

[Vincent Frégeac]

Hi Mike,

 

Now I understand why Bill recommended your advice. Very detailled procedure
to get out of trouble. I hope you’re right about the damaged spline. I’ll
grab my triangular file and see if it’s just my fingers which are not
sensistive enough.

 

And you’re really talking mega torque here. I think I’ve never torqued the
axle bolt so much. It seems it’s time to grab the mega torque-wrench too.

 

 

 

Vincent.

 

  _____  

De : Mike Platt [mailto:mplatt911 at yahoo.com] 
Envoyé : 4 avril 2006 17:12
À : Bill Mahoney; vfregeac at sympatico.ca
Cc : 'Mike Platt'
Objet : Re: [s-cars] HELP - Half-shaft doesn't go into wheel hub.

 

Ah yes. Been there a few times. I think you have damaged the splines. The
hub should slide right in. All is not lost. Of the four or five times I have
taken the axle shafts out of Audis I have messed up the splines at least
twice. One of them wasn't even my car! The procedure to fix them requires
patience , a small flashlight, and a small file with a pointed edge(not
squared). Figure on 45 minutes of filing dude. Using the breaker bar may
have really trashed them a bit. I didn't go to that extreme when the didn't
go together.

 

Grab your flashlight and file and clean up the splines in the hub.The OD and
the inside of splines. They will need to be tapered towards a point at the
ends to allow the axle shaft splies to ease in. Then do the same thing with
the axle shaft. When your done you should be able to get them to start
easily at least halfway together. A ratchet wrend with light pressure should
send it home. Them mega torques time. 150lbs with half turn afterwards. Or
metric french equivalent;You take da wrench aye. Durn to da wight till
really tight. Then you take the breaker bar, bfb, and a turn the nbolt there
like half way dere side by each sorta.

 

 

Good luck. You can fix it dude

Vincent 

The omnipotent Mike Platt I think can help you with this


Bill M

Mike, see below:

I replaced both control arms and a bearing today. I’ve been postponing this
repair for a few month as I was expecting a major pita
 (wheel bearings and
me are not friends). Surprisingly, it went very well. The bearing popped out
easily with the press, the new one went in as easily. Youpla. I bold the
suspension back in place, push the half-shaft end into the hub. Oups!
Doesn’t want to go in. Take it out, back in, giggle it a bit. Nothing.
 
 
 
I tried to use the old axle bolt to drive it in. It went a half inch in but
I had to use a breaker bar to turn the bolt. I removed the bold before
destroying anything and popped the axle out with a hammer. The filet on the
axle bolt was already in bad shape
 
 
 
So what? The splines in the hub seem to be in good shape according to
 my
fingers. Idem on the axle. Is it possible I’ve ovalised the hub when I
pushed out the inner ring of the bearing with the press? It would surprise
me. What can make the axle so hard to push back in when it went out  by its
own weight?
 
 
 
Any idea?

 

 

  _____  

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